Blood Brothers
by Chevy Nova
Summary: When Mikey is challenged with a new piece of information about himself and his family, it takes the aid of an older brother to help him realize that some bonds are forged strong and were never meant to be broken. [One-Shot]


**Blood Brothers**

"I said, hey guys, where's Mikey?"

"Geez, Leo, put a lid on it, will ya? I mean can ya yell any louder, I can still hear outta this ear."

Leonardo frowned and crossed his arms across his plastron, moving to stand directly in front of the large television screen his two younger brothers were currently both glued to, video game consoles in hand. Blocking their view, it wasn't the first time he had to wonder why they needed a screen so large anyway, as it was easy to forget just how much he used it himself in his current state of utter annoyance.

"He's probably just out in the sewers somewhere with his board." Don spoke, his voice a perfect example of neutral diplomacy. "Now would you kindly move your tail before we move it for you?" Even his irritation was spoken smoothly.

Leo scrunched his nose, but let the comment slide, relenting as he shuffled a bit to the left, revealing the two zipping go-karts on the screen once more. "He's been gone all day, and didn't even come home for dinner. Neither of you find that just a little bit strange?"

"Since when has Mikey not been strange?"

"But he hasn't even answered his T-Phone."

"Look Leo," Don hesitated, putting down his console as Raphael visibly tensed beside him, "If Mikey doesn't want to play, then he doesn't want to play. Pushing him isn't going to help."

Leo frowned, "I'm not pushing him to do anything. I just want to know why he hasn't even checked in. I would think you two would want to know as well."

For a moment neither responded as a meaningful glance was shared between the purple clad turtle and his sai wielding brother, before Don sighed and shook his head, "Honestly…I don't think he wants to be checked on by either of us right now."

"What? Why?"

"Well…" Don hesitated before shaking his head, "Look Leo, I know you've been back a few months now and all, but I think Mikey is still harboring some previous feelings of neglect."

Leo's stomach gave a sharp twist as his frown deepened, "What?"

"Mikey seems to have misconstrued some things and gotten it into his head… Raph and I have tried…" Donatello sighed. "Look, I don't really know if there is anything more that either of us can say than we already have that you can't offer him in your way that you do that he somehow always seems to like so much better."

Leo studied his younger brother, confusion still swept over his features, "What are you talking about? Since when have I neglected any of you since I've come back? Did Mikey actually say that, or-"

"Keep talkin' Leo," Raph suddenly leaned over, eyes once more glued to the screen, "Donnie can't talk and race at the same time."

"You should have paused the game, Raphael." Don muttered, jabbing his elbow out, "accidentally" knocking the controller out from his brother's grasp.

"Hey!"

Figuring he wouldn't be getting much more out of either of them, Leo sighed, turning away from his brothers on the couch, ignoring Don's shouts of indignation that sounded more like a plea of help from Raphael's own returned revenge jab.

"Thanks for your help, guys."

Shaking his head from the full-blown wrestling match now currently engaged on the couch, Leo stepped away from the living room, heading toward the front entrance of the lair. He paused as he caught sight of Mikey's skateboard, abandoned in the corner of the living room and his frown deepened as his stomach gave another sharp twist.

The sewers were nearly pitch black as Leo stepped away from the glow of the living room, and he cast his gaze around at the various tunnels snaking away from him. Under most circumstances, Mikey was normally the easiest of his brothers to track down. Under the current circumstances however, Leo was hesitant; without a skateboard in tow or a declaration of spending an evening at the penny arcade, he was out of his usual options.

He gave one final pause, glancing back over his shoulder. The sound of digital go-karts filled the air once more and rolled his eyes as he stepped out into the sewers_. _He knew Raph and Don had likewise noticed their youngest brothers' absence, yet their apparent failure in reassuring their sibling did little in calming his nerves, as his instincts headed him down the closest sewer tunnel to his right.

Within seconds the sounds of his home began to fade and Leo increased his pace. He closed his mind to any other distractions focusing at the task at hand and the surrounding web of tunnels that now encased him.

The sound of running water filled his head as he continued further, the tunnels growing steadily narrow as he followed the blocks of light granted him every few feet from the grates above. He tilted his head upward, the path of the sewers ingrained into his memory, the worn, slick bricks familiar beneath his feet.

He stopped beneath a patch of light, still looking upward. He wasn't out of breath, yet he could feel his heart pounding, his fingers curling inward at his sides.

"Hey, Leo."

The soft voice sliced through Leo's thoughts, and his gaze instantly flicked to the side. The tension fled his body the moment his brown eyes fell upon the forlorn form of Michelangelo. He paused however, hesitant to step over to him, as he took in his younger brother's position. Mikey was seated upon the ground, legs curled up tight into ball and head turned down, staring intently at the trickling stream of water at his feet as he avoided looking Leo in the eye.

"Mikey?"

Leo seamlessly stepped over, crouching down by Mikey's side. He glanced to the ground, yet found nothing there that might have captured the other's interest. "Hey, are you okay?" he quickly scanned his siblings' body, relieved when he found no sign of injury, "Did you get lost?"

"No."

Leo waited, but his brother offered no more explanation. Mikey's silence was insufferable, the lack of his younger sibling's voice more grating to Leo than the constant mindless yammering he had long since grown accustomed to.

"Well then, come on," he reached out, taking a hold of Mikey's elbow, trying to ignore how stiff it felt beneath his touch, "we've got to head back. Don and Raph were starting to worry about you."

"Yeah, right."

Leo frowned; the genuine disbelief in Mikey's voice was far more irksome than his suggestion being flat out rejected. "It's true. You've been gone all day."

"So what?" Mikey curled his legs tighter against himself, clasping his arms protectively around his knees. "If I don't come back they'll just forget about me, just like they'll forget about you too."

"Mikey…" Leo paused, his voice hushed as he allowed himself to sit, shaken at how his younger brother continued to pull away from him, "what are you talking about?"

"And when they get sick of one another, they'll just forget each other too."

Leo swallowed, unable to ignore the painful lump in his throat as Michelangelo's trembling voice grew quieter. He was more aware than ever how he was not currently being bombarded with the usual water balloon or sausage link nun-chuck, and this bitter, apathetic attitude cast out from his little brother shook him with unease, "What makes you think that could ever happen?"

"It's like Donnie says," Mikey muttered with a shrug, "its cause we have no reason to stay together anymore."

A sharp pang sliced through Leo's temples, his free hand balling into a fist at whatever new heartless nonsense Don hadn't had the common sense to forgo saying in front of their impressionable youngest sibling, "Why did he say that?"

"It's because we're not really brothers!" Mikey shoved away Leo's hand that had been resting on his elbow. His voice hadn't sounded like his own, twisted with pain as it echoed through the tunnel, reverberating around them. "We're not even a real family!"

The words stung, and Leo fell silent. Mikey's shout lingered around them, the truth of them refusing to disappear. Leo tried to swallow, but his voice stuck in his throat, tightening until he couldn't breathe and the tears pricked at his eyes.

"Mikey…" he exhaled slowly though he didn't bother to try to stop his hands from shaking, "that's not what Don meant, he told you that. He never said we aren't real brothers, or a real family."

"He didn't have to." Mikey snapped as he pulled back away completely, turning away from Leo's stare, "It's all the same. Like it's not bad enough we're not from the same family, we're not even the same kind of turtles!"

"Well," Leo didn't stand, but kept his hand on his knees, palms spread open, "it's not really that much of a surprise, is it?" he gave a hesitant chuckle, "I mean, you never thought it was kind of weird that Don has so many toes? Or Raph's tail is so long? Or why my claws grow so insanely fast…which really isn't as cool as you seem to think, they get in the way and I can't hold my swords correctly if I don't trim them every week…um…" Leo sighed, "Mikey?"

"Why do we even bother trying to ignore it? We'll just stop caring sooner or later," Mikey muttered as he buried his face in his hands, "it's all inedible anyway."

Leo hesitated, biting back a strained chuckle as he leaned in closer to Mikey as he was careful to keep his voice in its same, comforting tone, "Um…inevitable?"

"Yeah, that too." The young ninja at last turned back around, curling his knees back against himself before the sound of sniffles filled the air.

"I used to think we could do anything, because nothing could break us. Because we were brothers…blood brothers. And there's nothing stronger than that." He at last raised his glittering blue eyes up to Leo, "But now we have nothing keeping us together."

Leo reached forward just as Mikey latched onto him and buried his face in his shoulder. He closed his eyes as he felt the surge of tears damp on his skin, and he pulled his younger brother closer.

"Mikey, our bond as brothers has nothing to do with blood. We all share the same story; we all came from the same place. And we are all together now. That's what matters." Leo squeezed his eyes shut as he swallowed hard, his grip tightening around Mikey's shoulders, "The ties that keep us together as brothers can't ever be broken, especially by something as insignificant as, well, genetics."

The smaller turtle gave a weak, wet chuckle as he tightened his embrace, "I just don't want us to fall apart."

"You don't have to worry about that, Mikey." Leo slipped his eyes open, remaining still, determined to protect his brother from whatever demons plagued his mind, "I promise you that. We're not going anywhere."

Mikey lost track of how many minutes slid past as he held onto Leo, and heonly pulled away as a bout of shivers had begun to creep onto his own, frozen skin. He was glad when Leo said nothing, waiting in silence as he wiped his eyes, though his mask remained damp and he reached up to slip it off, letting it hang around his neck.

Pulling himself to his feet, he kept his eyes downcast even as Leo joined him and the two began a silent trek home. Mikey tried to remember the last time he had felt so utterly empty, and the fact that not a single memory came to mind only seemed to make things worse. He could no longer feel his heart pounding in his chest, that constant, aching thump deep inside that had only served as another reminder of the blood he shared with no one.

He had the route back to the lair pressed into his memory, the sewers his own backyard. Not a single tunnel snaked around him that neither he nor his brothers didn't know about. But he didn't know how he could continue calling it a home, if the hidden lies of a family would ultimately dash away everything they had built together as one.

"Cheer up, Mikey," Leo offered him a smile as the door to the lair slid open, and the two brothers were washed in a warm light, "we're here for you."

Stepping inside the lair he hesitated before the sound of Raph's voice beckoned him to take the final steps inside.

"Hey Mikey! C'mere and hold down Donnie's thumbs for a second, will ya? He keeps cheatin'."

"I'm the cheater?" Don danced just out of Raph's swiping range, the death grip on his console still aimed at the television screen, "Says the one who unplugged me for a lap so he could get ahead!"

"Only because you used all your stupid secret shortcuts and booster codes from online!" Raphael snapped with another failed swipe, "You tricked out your cart with stuff from the next level!"

"That's not cheating, Raph, it's called being an informed player."

Mikey said nothing as Leo gave a low chuckle beside him and gave him a good natured nudge, before moving over to stand behind the couch, peering over the shells of their other two brothers. He watched as Leo moved in to play "peacemaker", simultaneously attempting to steal Don's console and surreptitiously causing Raphael's go-kart to crash head on to a brick wall.

"Leo! Knock it off!"

Mikey grinned as Leo jammed at the buttons over Raph's shoulder, while Don danced out of reach by jumping on the arm of the sofa. From his new perch, Don prodded the pair with his foot, further knocking the console from Raph's grip as he gave a loud, maniacal laugh.

The young ninja attempted to cover his mouth, but couldn't as his own chuckles began to mix with Don's. He could never tire of his older brother's mad scientist guffaw, and as Raph's usual infuriated threats began to grow smothered under one of Leo's trade mark ultimate bear hugs, the searing pain of loneliness and doubt that had so painfully gripped Mikey's heart began to loosen from its icy hold.

And as he studied his brothers, really studied them, it occurred to him that he'd never noticed before how much more brown than green Don's skin actually was, or that his eyes were such a peculiar shade of red. It had never occurred to him that only Leo didn't have a tail, or how he had those red spots near his eyes. And it just seemed to make sense that Raph had fangs when no one else did, and that his shell was almost twice the size of his own. Yet none of these dissimilarities had ever had any effect on their bonds as a family.

And he didn't see why it had to change now.

Donatello looked Mikey in the eye, smiling and beckoned his brother over, right as Raphael hooked his foot around Leo's, effectively sending his older brother careening headfirst onto the couch, who still managed to grab ahold of Donatello's bandana, and pull him down as well, smack atop a laughing Raphael. With a wild grin now plastered on his face, Mikey sprinted forward, leaping to dog pile on his brothers, a sense of belonging and unity beginning to once more fill the hurting void deep in his chest, pushing away any linger remnants of doubt or anger.

He knew they didn't care that he was the only one with freckle-like spots covering him from head to toe, and they didn't care that his shell was almost flat. He was the same just as he'd always been. Mikey guessed that deep down he had always known this, had known his whole life that their unique traits were simply a part of who they all were, that it had never made any real difference one way or another.

They would see him just the same way as they always had before.

Like their brother.

-oOo-

**Author's Note: **Thank you very much for reading my work, I hope you enjoyed it! The idea for this story came to me some time ago, and through the aid of my awesome beta reader, I'm extremely proud to share it. It occurred to me awhile back that the probability of the turtles actually being of blood relation was quite slim, and it further pushed me into imagining just what type of turtle each one of them might be. After a good chunk of research on the various turtle species out there, I decided for my own headcanon they are as follows:

Leo-Red Eared Slider

Raph- Common Snapping Turtle

Don-Box Turtle

Mikey- Map Turtle

I also drew them with this idea in mind, and if you're interested in seeing my rendition of them, you can view them in my DeviantArt gallery under the username InkyMilk.

I would love to read your thoughts and opinions, and once again I appreciate your support!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the TMNT.


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